Work out:
I have this as #1 because I neglected my health when I started freelancing until I fell sick and realized that without being healthy, I didn't have a business.

Embrace a business mindset:
If you started freelancing as a side hustle, it's easy to treat it as a hobby and less like a business. This will hurt you. You are a business, act like one.

Present yourself as a brand:
When you present yourself/your business as a brand, not only do you get to command much higher rates, you are respected and you eliminate your competition in the mind of your ideal consumers.

Be firm:
Don't be a push over, this almost drowned my career- mainly because I have a reserved personality. Speak your mind and don't let clients troll all over you.

Be humble:
That said, don't be an ass, dick, arrogant or any of those things. Be truly humble.

Focus:
Focus should drive your brand. In regards to what you offer, what you stand for, the work you deliver, projects you're currently working on, clients you are pursuing, focus, focus, focus.

Admit you don't know everything:
Web designers could relate to this. Although it's good to have the problem-solving attitude, sometimes it just saves time by admitting you don't know everything. You will be surprised your clients will actually appreciate (and trust you more) for this. It will also save you tons of time "researching".

Be thirsty for knowledge:
This came easy for me but I didn't acknowledge it until later. But constantly "sharpening" your brain with your industry trends, reading books, watching TED talks, reading blogs regularly, asking questions, answering questions etc are all part of enhancing your knowledge and will set you on a path to be a specialist that you are.

Say NO:
Back to the focus point on #6, sometimes a client will make a request that's out of your focus range- say NO. This is hard to do especially if you don't have any projects/income flowing. Do it anyway. It's a test :)

(Almost) Never do work for free:
To begin with it might be wise to do a few "free" projects to build your reputation and get some feedback, but that's all that will be. From then on respect yourself and your knowledge and charge accordingly for your services.

Always have a contract:
I lost over $4,000 for lack of a contract so I say this from a place of deep pain. Although I decided to get over that ordeal and forgive that client (though I will never work with them again) it still hurts to date.

80/20 client rule:
Don't let a client control 80% of your income. Should they drop the project, it will sting! Balance.

Set work hours:
Goes back to #2 Business Mindset. Set working hours and stick to them. Use time tracker software even on yourself. I currently use Time Doctor- always have but there's many others out there. It will help with your productivity.

Save money:
You don't want to take on a project because you're desperate for money. Save and get to pick the clients you work with.

Save more so you can pay your taxes:
Easy to forget about taxes, but you gotta pay them. Back to #2 Business Mindset. It hurts but pay up!

Being your own boss means now you have employees to manage:
This is a real challenge. It helps to select the right team members. If you sense red flags early on in the relationship- drop them. That said, be patient and cut your best team members some slack.

Your client is your new boss:
You started your business because you wanted to be your own boss- that doesn't entirely work that way. Your client is now your new boss. Luckily, you get to dictate the terms of your relationship- and unlike other boss-employee relationships, you can fire this "boss" if they start being too much.

Arm yourself with time-saving tools:
You quickly realize that you are the CEO, Business Manger, Project Manager, Accountant, Marketing Manager, Social Media Manager etc etc, today, there are tools for almost anything business related- take time to research and use them. Don't be cheap either, pay for tools that will help you save time, it's an investment worth protecting.

Take time off (real time off):
Shut down your engines, notify your clients well ahead of time, set your vacation email auto-responder and take real time off. You deserve it.

Project doesn't start until the deposit has cleared:
The excitement that comes from landing a new client can overshadow the fact that you do this for the money. Don't start till the money is in your account. No exceptions. If a client plays around with this rule, drop 'em like they hot!

Final deliverable is not available until final payment has cleared:
Similar to above rule, sites don't go live till payments clear- unless they are on my own server which I have full control over. Again, this comes from a place of deep pain as I've lost a couple grands on this mistake.

Get out & network:
It's easy when you're working online especially with the existence of social media to forget that real people exist lol, seriously get out and network, not only is this good for your business, it's good for your soul. As humans we thrive from interactions, and this come from an introvert :)

Work with goals:
Set goals (big, scary, hairy, goals) achieve them then go on to the next one! It's the only way to grow. It also boosts your confidence over time.

It's going to be OK:
Sometimes in the frenzy of running your business, things get crazy and doubt creeps up. Seriously, it's not the end of the world. In the end, things have a way of fixing themselves, as long as you do your part, it's all going to be ok. Just relax! Or refer to #1 (Work out)

Great list, and I can especially relate to the last point. Doubt really creeps up on me constantly. I've spent a year building a business and finally went live a few weeks ago. I have a few clients already but sometimes I think wtf am I doing, this can't possibly work out.
It's scary but I keep pushing myself because I can't see myself doing anything else.

Congratulations on launching your business, that must be exciting! Honestly, doubt will always be there. I experience it almost every week. Such a roller-coaster, but the thrill is worth every single scream! The fact that you can't see yourself doing anything else is a solid reassurance that you're on the right path.

As I type this, I'm sitting in my office with the same clothes I had on yesterday (spent the night here) and yeah, it's not the first. My employees poke fun at me every once in a while but this drive is unstoppable.

Thanks! I'm in the same clothes club too. I've been writing mining articles most of the day for a friend that works for a digital agency in exchange for one of his high PR backlinks. The things we do...
I'm in Australia, what's thanksgiving? :D jk

I've tried to convince some freelancer friends to do this. A few are still reluctant but one of them made a really solid "facade business" around just himself. It's pretty impressive. If you don't know he's a one-man operation it seriously looks like he works for a big design company. He's got company business cards and everything. He said something like "It's amazing how much easier it is to get your foot in the door with clients when they think you work for a company versus if they think you're just some loner in a home office."

The real cool thing is that if you ever decide to expand your operation--hey!--you've already got a real business!

I've just started and that's exactly what I am doing. I see it has two benefits, 1: as you said above, 2: in the the hopes that the company gets bigger, I can easily easily hire employees and not worry about creating a new brand that doesn't yet have the reputation that I personally have.

Very good point, actually had to do this for a client 2 weeks ago. As someone who has used PayPal since it's inception, I didn't see the big deal in having a Merchant Processor but my client insisted that his sales were being affect by people thinking that they needed to have a PP account to buy (even though we had a huge sign saying you can use your CC if you don't have an account) so as a result of his pressure, we reluctantly added a Merchant Processor on his online store. Sales skyrocketed, turns out "the customer is always right" was true in this case :D

Thanks for the reminders. I abruptly quit a "real" job 2 months after I left freelancing. So now I'm filled with a lot of doubt. And most of (well, all for now) my income comes from one client. It's a big organization, so I'm not in danger of losing it any time soon, but it's still scary.

I broke the 5-digit threshold with this client and some one-offs but I struggle with staying motivated, especially now after a bad corporate experience.

Anyways, I'm rambling but I appreciate your blog post. I hope I can get out of this rut soon and go back to being in business.

One I'm still struggling with you need to change your own job title/position if you start to employ staff. You are employing staff to do your work and to correctly manage them you need to become a manager.

I started a big project as a freelancer and now have four full time staff. Because I was the first developer who put most of the original code in I have to still do a lot of the code. More staff means more paperwork and dealing with more accounting. The staff need constant management and support. I have a 50/50 with development but I need to drop it down to 10/90 and then my business can expand.

Freelancer to manager who still programs to hopefully a full time manager soon.

Congratulations on your growth. The great thing about you and your situation is that you have a clear vision of where you want to take your company and the role you'd like to play. I'm in the exact same situation as you and what I'm finding out is I'll need to give up more control for my company to experience the growth I hope for. By that I mean trusting my team to do the job I'm so good at doing. This has meant a slight drop in quality (since they can't do it exactly how I used to do it) but I also understand that this is temporary and with time, we'll be back on the same level. It's a really daunting experience.

BTW, have you had issues with high turn-over rates? I know that's one part still affecting my business.

Yup exactly. Give up a bit of quality. That's why I can't shake off the current project because the customer expects the same quality from start to finish.

It took me about 6-9 months to "surrender" to other staff here not doing work to the same standards as myself. I have more than triple their professional experience so it's expected.

Do you mean staff? Yes! I live in a country where the staff turn over is painful. Normally it's 12 months and then they move on elsewhere. I've had a few people last less than 12 months and that hurts even more - especially when you've trained them up.

My focus now is procedures. As a team we're writing procedure documents for all product life span from talking to customer to signing a job off to support. This is something we're actively doing every week.

I really like this list. The "branding" concept particularly rings true. I would add (and I continue to struggle with this), get comfortable talking about money in a completely candid way. When someone asks your fee, state your fee in a matter of fact way, and when they gasp, don't feel the need to justify what you charge. When I first started, I would give large discounts from what my competition was charging, with the thought that I was new and needed to establish myself. I quickly learned that clients see consultants with lower fees as less competent/successful.

This is SO TRUE! I can't believe I left this one out of my list. Is it ok if I add it in? lmk :D

Being comfortable talking about money takes practice, but honestly, beyond making a difference, we got into business to MAKE MONEY. So charging accordingly shouldn't be compromised.

I learned this earlier on. My first project I charged $50, the next one (for the same thing) I charged $600, after that, $4,000- and the rest is history. As long as you are providing real value and elevating your clients' business, don't be afraid to charge accordingly!

1- I didn't know that as a freelance you (I) can ask for money from the first day. I thought I would have to wait until I deliver the first deliverable to receive the first payment. Is it always like that? You always receive a part of the payment on the first day of the project? What % approx of the total?

2- How do you manage deliverables? Do you set a set of milestones and you make "partial deliveries"? Or you just deliver the final product?

3- How "bounding" are the delivery dates? Do you ever change them because you need more time? Does it also happen sometimes that the project takes more effort than expected and you re-negotiate the price?

4- Do the clients often ask for modifications and changes after the final delivery? Do you specify in the contract how many modifications are you willing to do for the original price?

1- I didn't know that as a freelance you (I) can ask for money from the first day. I thought I would have to wait until I deliver the first deliverable to receive the first payment. Is it always like that in your case? You always receive a part of the payment on the first day of the project?
No, no, no, include it in your contract that you need a deposit before any work commences, and don't start any work before the deposit clears. The client needs you (your services) as much as you need them (for their money), it's a fair exchange and when they commit to doing business with you, they should prove it by having some skin in the game (deposit). I normally require 50% down, unless it's a really big project, then I may split it it up in 3 payments- 30-40-30

2- How do you manage deliverables? Do you set a set of milestones and you make "partial deliveries"? Or you just deliver the final product?
This depends on the type of project. But mostly, I just deliver the final project and include "checkpoints" throughout so that we don't stray off too much from the client's vision. Also, it's good practice to keep them in the loop with how things are progressing. I always put myself in their shoes and act accordingly.

3- How "bounding" are the delivery dates? Do you ever change them because you need more time? Does it also happen sometimes that the project takes more effort than expected and you re-negotiate the price?
Anyone will tell you, even the best plans change. Things come up all the time and although I'm strict to the milestones we set, sometimes (most times) you'll have to deviate from the original plan and get creative. Every project has ups and downs, how well you manage them will determine how successful your results are

4- Do the clients often ask for modifications and changes after the final delivery? Do you specify in the contract how many modifications are you willing to do for the original price?
All the time. This just happened last week. I handle this on a case by case basis. I might allow a bit of wiggle room but the minute I notice they are taking advantage of it, I address it right away and ask for more payment. If a client values & respects you (and your work) they will understand, if they throw a fit, drop them. It will only get worse with time. But of course use your best judgement with each situation

I'd like to add, without reading other comments, don't be afraid to hire. One of the mistakes I made last year was turning away work because I was doing everything myself. Even if you hire someone 1 hour per day (That's $15 a week for someone overseas or $50 a week for someone in the US at $10/hour), you could take a nap or even land a new client.

Here's how I create my SOP for tasks so that I can hire:

Write out my to-do list for today

Screen record the task I'm doing, explaining each step AND why I'm doing it

Upload the video to YouTube

When I have enough tasks, hire a VA to watch the video, create the text directions in a Google site, and then start the task

Now I have a training manual in place so that if that VA disappears or moves on, I can easily replace them.

I also like to do this for tasks I don't enjoy, tasks that drain me, or tasks that don't produce a significant return. My focus is marketing, sales, weekly client calls, and managing my VAs.

Wow, you really put a lot of thought into this list, that I would call attributes. Looking back myself, I was raised to be an entrepreneur, a business owner. It was all I ever wanted, all I ever daydreamed was this vision of the future, my destiny. Maybe visions of grandeur. As entrepreneurs, as dreamers we tend to have lazer-beam focus, maybe unfortunately only seeing the end-result, the goal, the destiny, our future self.

To become that future self, we take the action steps that mere mortals aren't courageous enough to take. That's what makes us different, we are willing to manifest our imagination into physical reality, while others settle following the herd.

However, in the creation process we develop through the hardships and adversity some of which you have described to become what we were intended to be. If you ever felt trapped, caged, stuck in a job or career that you knew wasn't for you. How about the built up frustration to know you have great potential, yet you are surrounded by co-workers, managers and bosses that don't have the millionaire mindset as you? It's like being in a foreign land but can't speak the language.

This I know all to well...

Being a Business owner can be very difficult, however I wouldn't trade it for a job. All of those attributes you mentioned, yes I wish I knew them prior as well.

But keep in mind, it's the journey which defines us that makes us great, not the destination.

I completely agree with what you are saying. To clarify, #3 when I said present yourself as a brand, I meant embrace that mindset that you are an entity (even if you're running solo) and present yourself in a professional way. Being small/solo can be advantageous as you mentioned and embracing is great! Being pretentious (even for larger brands) always hurts your reputation. After all, a brand needs to be authentic for the target audience to embrace it- anything short of that won't cut it.

I agree with this - I get the point OP is making - saying, make yourself a brand, not just Joe from around the corner who can build a website (or whatever) - you have to present yourself as a brand, identity, company - someone with confidence.

Love the list OP - I'm in my 2nd year of marketing business I started, for small business/startups - and I agree with every single point.